Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Indiana Bloomington Knightridge Space Observatory
Knightridge Space Observatory is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Knightridge Space Observatory

If astronomy had a ghost, it would look like this observatory.

Bloomington, Indiana

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Knightridge Space Observatory   Cindy Cornett Seigle on Flickr
  Autumn Bones / Atlas Obscura User
  Autumn Bones / Atlas Obscura User
The wooden dome ceiling.   Cindy Cornett Seigle on Flickr
The rusting exterior of the dome.   Cindy Cornett Seigle on Flickr
  irishsiren / Atlas Obscura User
  irishsiren / Atlas Obscura User
  irishsiren / Atlas Obscura User
  irishsiren / Atlas Obscura User
  irishsiren / Atlas Obscura User
  irishsiren / Atlas Obscura User
Interior   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
  Autumn Bones / Atlas Obscura User
  Autumn Bones / Atlas Obscura User
July 2020   eruvoz / Atlas Obscura User
July 2020   eruvoz / Atlas Obscura User
July 2020   eruvoz / Atlas Obscura User
July 2020   eruvoz / Atlas Obscura User
Remains on observatory - Aug 2020   rebeccajoyd / Atlas Obscura User
Aug 2020   rebeccajoyd / Atlas Obscura User
Current state is crumbling   thehillsadventures / Atlas Obscura User
This place has been taken down it is no longer even even standing as of early 2021   kappak7 / Atlas Obscura User
recently torn down   gregrosshill / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Update: The observatory was torn down in 2020. Only brick rubble remains.

Buried in the Indiana wilderness, the abandoned Knightridge Space Observatory is astronomy's answer to the eerie backwoods shack.

A simple, two-story telescope dome, the observatory was built between 1936 and 1937 in the then-remote area of Bloomington. The squat building consists of just two rooms, one on the ground floor and an upper room where the crude, four-ton telescope could look out of the retractable viewing slot built into the domed ceiling. While the outer wall is made of sturdy brick, the interior construction and the dome were built from wood. The dome was placed on a track with rollers that allowed the entire ceiling to rotate in order to find the best viewing angles. The facility was simple, but effective for early 20th-century astronomers.

The area of Bloomington continued to grow over the years and eventually grew close enough to the station that the observatory's delicate viewing instruments were no longer as effective. This, combined with a growing obsolescence, led to the observatory's eventual abandonment.

While it has been emptied of its equipment, the Knightridge Space Observatory still stands. The viewing window has been damaged by falling logs, the dome has rusted in place, and the upper floors are treacherous with rotten wood, but the ruin still manages to draw the interest of explorers.   

The telescope was removed in the mid-1960s and is now located at the NJAA Observatory in Voorhees State Park, New Jersey. It is still operational and open to the public on select Saturdays during the summer.

Related Tags

Abandoned Observatories Abandoned Observatories

Know Before You Go

Southeast corner of Knightridge Road and E. Lampkins Ridge Road. The grove of trees surrounding the observatory is not large, but it's dense enough to conceal the building when the trees have their leaves.

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

Rachel, derukanjiru, Martin, devonpike...

  • Rachel
  • derukanjiru
  • Martin
  • devonpike
  • rzep8
  • kappak7
  • ski queen
  • irishsiren
  • Autumn Bones
  • eruvoz
  • rebeccajoyd
  • gregrosshill
  • thehillsadventures

Published

November 19, 2013

Updated

April 2, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://eerie-indiana.blogspot.com/2013/09/abandoned-knightridge-space-observatory.html
  • http://www.njaa.org/history/frame.html
  • http://astronomy.snjr.net/blog/?p=114
  • http://www.reddit.com/r/bloomington/comments/1960md/abandoned_iu_observatory/
  • https://bloomingtonian.com/2020/08/15/old-knightridge-observatory-demolished/
  • https://bloomingtonian.com/2020/08/15/old-knightridge-observatory-demolished/
Knightridge Space Observatory
Bloomington, Indiana, 47401
United States
39.149979, -86.470516

Nearby Places

Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection

Bloomington, Indiana

miles away

Beebe Gallery at the Kinsey Institute

Bloomington, Indiana

miles away

Brain Sculpture

Bloomington, Indiana

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bloomington

Bloomington

Indiana

Places 8
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection

Bloomington, Indiana

miles away

Beebe Gallery at the Kinsey Institute

Bloomington, Indiana

miles away

Brain Sculpture

Bloomington, Indiana

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bloomington

Bloomington

Indiana

Places 8
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

The United States of Abandoned Places

List

By Mar Nwe Aye and Charlotte Chadwick

See 8 Fascinating Ruins of Space Exploration

abandoned

By Sarah Bruhns

Related Places

  • The 54-meter dish of the radio telescope.

    Orgov, Armenia

    Radio Optical Observatory ROT54

    An observatory with a 54-meter-wide radio telescope sits in the mountains of Armenia.

  • Warner and Swasey Observatory

    East Cleveland, Ohio

    Warner and Swasey Observatory

    This lovely university observatory continues to sit abandoned since its potential savior was sent to jail for fraud.

  • Mohon del Trigo Observatory

    Güejar Sierra, Spain

    Mohon del Trigo Observatory

    This abandoned, turn-of-the-century astronomy hub is now the subject of more photographs than it ever took.

  • Cointe Observatory

    Liège, Belgium

    Cointe Observatory

    This Belgian observatory bears a striking resemblance to Futurama's Planet Express building.

  • The Monsoon Palace.

    Kodiyat, India

    Monsoon Palace

    This magical place built as an astronomical center starred as a James Bond villain's lair.

  • The Durham Obelisk.

    Durham, England

    Durham Obelisk

    An abandoned tower once used to study the cosmos hides within a thicket of greenery.

  • Čolina Kapa Astronomical Observatory.

    Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Čolina Kapa Astronomical Observatory

    The haunting ruins of a military fortress turned astronomical observatory sit on a Sarajevo mountaintop.

  • Collage of the site

    Taastrup, Denmark

    Tusculanum

    The remains of the observatory of the Danish astronomer who first measured the speed of light.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.